82

it is necessary to set up ambushes, all day long he labored, calling upon God as his helper. Therefore, summoning at that time one of the elders of Larissa, he inquired about the lay of the land. And raising his eyes, at the same time also pointing with his finger, he carefully asked where there were ravines broken through the places or any deep thickets connected to them. He inquired about these things from the Larissan, wishing to set up an ambush and to overcome the Latins by deceit; for he had already renounced open and head-on war, having often joined battle and been defeated, and having experienced the clash of Frankish warfare. 5.5.6 When the sun had set, the emperor himself, worn out from the whole day, turned to sleep, and a dream came to him. He seemed to be standing inside the holy shrine of the great martyr Demetrius and to hear a voice, "Do not grieve nor groan, tomorrow you conquer." And he thought the voice struck his hearing from one of the icons hanging in the shrine, on which the great martyr Demetrius was depicted. Waking up and becoming overjoyed from this oracle of the dream, he prayed to the martyr and also promised that if he should win a victory against the enemy, he would go there himself, and a good number of stades from the city of Thessalonica, not on horseback, but coming on foot and walking, he would come to venerate him. 5.5.7 And so, summoning the generals and commanders and all his kinsmen, he began a council, seeking each man's opinion; then he announced what had been decided. This was to hand over all the regiments to his kinsmen; and he put in command Nikephoros Melissenos and Basil Kourtikios, who was also called Ioannakes; this man was one of the notables, famous for his courage and military science, hailing from Adrianople. He handed over to them not only the regiments, but also all the imperial insignia. And he instructed them to draw up the battle line in the same formation he himself had used in previous wars, ordering them first to make a test of the Latins coming before them by skirmishing, then, having raised the war-cry, to advance against them with the whole army; and when the clash of shields occurs and they come to blows with one another, to show their backs to the Latins and to feign a headlong flight towards Lykostomion. And while the emperor was giving these orders, a neighing of all the horses of the camp was suddenly heard. And amazement at this seized everyone; nevertheless, it seemed a good omen at once to the emperor himself and to all the more observant. 5.5.8 But having thus given these instructions to them and having left them on the right of the fortress of Larissa, after waiting for the setting of the sun, having ordered some noble men to follow him, having passed through the pass of Libotanion and having skirted Rebenikon and through the so-called Allage, he reached the left side of Larissa, and having surveyed the entire lay of the land, noticing a rather low-lying spot, he was there with the ambush troops accompanying him. And the commanders of the Roman regiments, when the emperor, hurrying to set the ambush, as has been said, was about to go through the pass of Libotanion, at that time, separating a certain detachment from the Roman regiments, they sent it out against the Celts, in order to draw them to themselves, so that they would not have the opportunity to detect where the emperor was going. They, having gone down to the plain, attacked the Celts and having fought for a considerable time, they broke off, as night was just now not permitting the battle. And having occupied the designated spot, the emperor ordered everyone to dismount from their horses and, kneeling on one knee, to hold the reins in their hands. And he himself, happening upon a dwarf oak

82

χρὴ λόχους ἐνστήσασθαι, δι' ὅλης ἡμέρας διεπονεῖτο Θεὸν ἀρωγὸν ἐπικαλούμενος. Μετακαλεσά μενος οὖν τηνικαῦτά τινα τῶν γερόντων Λαρισσαίων ἐπυνθάνετο περὶ τῆς τοῦ τόπου θέσεως. Καὶ ἀνατείνας τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, ἅμα καὶ τῷ δακτύλῳ ἐπισημαίνων, ἐπι μελῶς ἀνηρώτα ὅπη φάραγγές εἰσι διερρωγυῖαι τοῖς τόποις ἢ λόχμαι τινὲς βαθεῖαι πρὸς αὐτὰς συνεχίζονται. Ταῦτα δὲ τοῦ Λαρισσαίου ἐπυνθάνετο βουλόμενος λόχον ἐπιστῆσαι καὶ δι' ἀπάτης τοὺς Λατίνους καταγωνίσασθαι· τὸν γὰρ φανερὸν καὶ κατὰ μέτωπον φθάσας ἀπηγόρευε πόλεμον πολλάκις συμβαλὼν καὶ ἡττηθεὶς καὶ πεῖραν τῆς συμβολῆς τοῦ φραγγικοῦ πολέμου λαβών. 5.5.6 Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἥλιος κατέδυ αὐτός τε δι' ὅλης κεκοπιακὼς τῆς ἡμέρας ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς ὕπνον ἐτράπετο, ὄνειρος ἐφίσταται τούτῳ. Ἐδόκει ἐντὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ τεμένους τοῦ μεγαλομάρτυρος ∆ημητρίου ἑστάναι καὶ φωνῆς ἀκοῦσαι, «Μὴ λυποῦ μηδὲ στένε, αὔριον νικᾷς». Τὴν δὲ φωνὴν βάλλειν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀκοὴν ᾤετο ἐκ μιᾶς τῶν ἐν τῷ τεμένει ἀπῃωρημένων εἰκόνων, ἐν ᾖ ὁ μεγαλόμαρτυς ∆ημήτριος κατεγέγραπτο. ∆ιυπνισθεὶς δὲ καὶ περιχαρὴς γεγονὼς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ὀνείρου ταύτης ὀμφῆς ἐθεοκλύτει τε τῷ μάρτυρι καὶ προσυπισ χνεῖτο, εἰ γένοιτό οἱ νίκην κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἄρασθαι, αὐτόθι τε παραγενέσθαι καὶ πρὸ σταδίων ἱκανῶν τῆς πόλεως Θεσσαλονίκης οὐκ ἔφιππον, ἀλλὰ πεζῇ καὶ βάδην ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐλεύσεσθαι προσκύνησιν. 5.5.7 Καὶ δὴ μετακαλεσάμενος τοὺς στρατηγούς τε καὶ ἡγε μόνας καὶ συγγενεῖς ἅπαντας βουλῆς ἤρχετο τὴν ἑκάστου γνώμην ἀναζητῶν· εἶτα τὸ σκοπηθὲν ἀπήγγειλε. Τὸ δὲ ἦν παραδοῦναι τὰ τάγματα ἅπαντα τοῖς συγγενέσιν αὐτοῦ· προεξάρχοντα δὲ τὸν Μελισσηνὸν Νικηφόρον ἐφίστησι καὶ τὸν Κουρτίκιον Βασίλειον, τὸν καὶ Ἰωαννάκην καλού μενον· ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, περιβόητος ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ στρατιωτικῇ ἐπιστήμῃ, ἐξ Ἀδριανουπόλεως ὁρμώμενος. Οὐ τὰ τάγματα δὲ μόνον αὐτοῖς παραδίδωσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῆς βασιλείας παράσημα ἅπαντα. Ἐπέ σκηπτε δὲ ποιήσασθαι τὴν παράταξιν καθ' ὃ σχῆμα ἐν τοῖς προηγησαμένοις πολέμοις αὐτὸς παρετάττετο παραγ γείλας αὐτοῖς δι' ἀκροβολισμῶν πρότερον ἀπόπειραν τῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν Λατίνων ἐρχομένων ποιήσασθαι, εἶτα τὸ ἐνυάλιον ἀλαλάξαντας πανστρατὶ κατ' αὐτῶν χωρῆσαι· ἐπὰν δὲ ὁ συνασπισμὸς γένηται καὶ εἰς χεῖρας κατ' ἀλλή λων ἔλθωσι, νῶτα παρασχεῖν τοῖς Λατίνοις καὶ φεύγειν ἀκρατῶς ὡς πρὸς τὸ Λυκοστόμιον ὑποκρίνεσθαι. Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς παρεκελεύετο, χρεμετισμὸς ἁπάντων τῶν ἵππων τοῦ στρατοπέδου αἴφνης ἐξηκούσθη. Καὶ θάμβος ἐπὶ τούτῳ κατέσχεν ἅπαντας· ἀγαθὸς δὲ ὅμως οἰωνὸς αὐτῷ τε τῷ βασιλεῖ παραυτίκα καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς περιεργοτέροις ἐδόκει. 5.5.8 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω πως ἐπισκήψας αὐτοῖς καὶ καταλιπὼν δεξιόθεν τοῦ κάστρου Λαρίσσης περιμείνας τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου δύσιν γεννάδας τινὰς ἄνδρας ἕπεσθαί οἱ ἐπιτάξας τὴν τοῦ Λιβοτανίου κλεισ ούραν διεληλυθὼς καὶ τὸν Ῥεβένικον περικόψας καὶ διὰ τῆς καλουμένης Ἀλλαγῆς πρὸς τὸ εὐώνυμον τῆς Λαρίσσης μέρος καταλαβὼν καὶ περιαθρήσας τὴν ἅπασαν τοῦ τόπου θέσιν χθαμαλώτερον τόπον κατανοήσας ἐκεῖθι μετὰ τῶν συνεφεπομένων αὐτῷ λοχῶν ἦν. Οἱ δὲ ἡγεμόνες τῶν ῥωμαϊκῶν ταγμάτων, ὁπηνίκα ὁ βασιλεὺς προλοχίσειν, ὡς εἴρηται, ἐπειγόμενος τὴν τοῦ Λιβοτανίου κλεισούραν διέρχεσθαι ἔμελλε, τηνικαῦτα ἀποσπάδα τινὰ τῶν ῥωμαϊ κῶν ἀποδιελόμενοι ταγμάτων κατὰ τῶν Κελτῶν ἐξέπεμψαν, ἐφ' ᾧ πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἑλκύσαι, ὡς μὴ ἐκεχειρίαν ἔχοιεν φωρᾶσαι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ὅπη πορεύεται. Οἳ καὶ πρὸς τὴν πεδιάδα κατελθόντες προσέβαλον τοῖς Κελτοῖς καὶ ἐφ' ἱκανὸν μαχεσάμενοι διέστησαν τῆς νυκτὸς ἀπάρτι μὴ παραχωρούσης τὴν μάχην. Καταλαβὼν δὲ τὸν σκοπηθέντα τόπον ὁ βασιλεὺς ἅπαντας ἀποβῆναι τῶν ἵππων ἐκέλευσε καὶ ἐπὶ γόνυ κλιθέντας τοὺς χαλινοὺς χερσὶ κατέχειν. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ χαμαιδρύῳ περιτυχὼν